| Abstract: | In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey
National Water-Quality Assessment Program collected
water samples from 48 wells in the southern
High Plains as part of a larger scientific effort to
broadly characterize and understand factors affecting
water quality of the High Plains aquifer across
the entire High Plains. Water samples were collected
primarily from domestic wells in Texas and
eastern New Mexico. Depths of wells sampled
ranged from 100 to 500 feet, with a median depth
of 201 feet. Depths to water ranged from 34 to
445 feet below land surface, with a median depth
of 134 feet.
Of 240 properties or constituents measured
or analyzed, 10 exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency public drinking-water standards or
guidelines in one or more samples?arsenic, boron,
chloride, dissolved solids, fluoride, manganese,
nitrate, radon, strontium, and sulfate. Measured
dissolved solids concentrations in 29 samples were
larger than the public drinking-water guideline of
500 milligrams per liter. Fluoride concentrations in
16 samples, mostly in the southern part of the study
area, were larger than the public drinking-water
standard of 4 milligrams per liter. Nitrate was
detected in all samples, and concentrations in six
samples were larger than the public drinking-water
standard of 10 milligrams per liter. Arsenic concentrations
in 14 samples in the southern part of the
study area were larger than the new (2002) public
drinking-water standard of 10 micrograms per liter.
Radon concentrations in 36 samples were larger
than a proposed public drinking-water standard of
300 picocuries per liter.
Pesticides were detected at very small concentrations,
less than 1 microgram per liter, in
less than 20 percent of the samples. The most frequently
detected compounds were atrazine and
breakdown products of atrazine, a finding similar
to those of National Water-Quality Assessment
aquifer studies across the Nation. Four volatile
organic compounds were detected at small concentrations
in six water samples. About 70 percent of
the 48 primarily domestic wells sampled contained
some fraction of recently (less than about 50 years
ago) recharged ground water, as indicated by the
presence of one or more pesticides, or tritium or
nitrate concentrations greater than threshold levels. |
| Genre: | USGS Numbered Series |
| ProdID: | 53230 |
| Citation Author: | Fahlquist, Lynne |
| Citation Contributing Office: | |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | - |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | |
| Citation Issue: | |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | ENGLISH |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | vii, 59 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ; 28 cm. |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | |
| Citation Series: | Open-File Report |
| Citation Series Code: | OFR |
| Citation Series Number: | 2003-345 |
| Citation Search Results Text: | Ground-water quality of the southern High Plains aquifer, Texas and New Mexico, 2001; 2003; OFR; 2003-345; Fahlquist, Lynne |
| Citation Start Page: | |
| Citation Volume: | |
| Citation Year: | 2003 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Ground-water quality of the southern High Plains aquifer, Texas and New Mexico, 2001; 2003; OFR; 2003-345; Fahlquist, Lynne |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/usgs_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DOCUMENT): | http://co.water.usgs.gov/nawqa/hpgw/reports/ofr03_345.pdf |
| Date Other: | Mon, 1 Dec 2003 00:00 -0600 |
| Publisher: | |
